By Diana Cavagnaro

The trendsetting Prince

Prince Lorenzo Maria Raimondo de’ Medici is a descendent to the Medici dynasty of Florence. Not only is he fluent in five languages, a historian, and an expert in Italian food, but he also holds a MBA in Fashion Design and Luxury Goods from Bologna University.

Prince Lorenzo comes from a long line of trendsetters in fashion, starting with the fashion icon Eleanor of Toledo in the 1500s. She was known for her beauty, elegance and richness of dress.  When I met Prince Lorenzo, he was wearing a linen suit impeccably tailored with hand stitching and topped off with a pair of red suede shoes. The Medici red is the nobility symbol and is used to represent the Medici crest.

In an interview with Prince Lorenzo, I asked him if he had any plans in the future for fashion. “I have been possibly thinking about making a men’s suit collection and a women’s silk collection,” he said. “I love linen and silk fabrics.”

As an accomplished artist, Prince Lorenzo has taken the Renaissance portraits that he owns in his palace in Italy and created “pop” art portraits with a contemporary flair. Each portrait is filled with a secret symbol and emblem that comes with a certificate and explanation. A special private cocktail reception was hosted for patrons of the arts by May Zawaideh and Alexander Salazar at the Del Mar Country Club on June 12. The guests were delighted to view this incredible collection along with an original painting by Raphael. Prince Lorenzo mesmerized the group with his incredible stories of this rich era of the most powerful family in Italy.

As a special treat, everyone was served a delicious tiramisu dessert. This was created from the old de’ Medici family recipe and was simply divine.

Alexander Salazar Fine Art Gallery is located at 1040 Seventh Ave. For an appointment, call 619-531-8996.

Avant Garde costume gala

Vanguard Culture presented a costume party at the Mingei International Museum in Balboa Park on June 19. Attendees were asked to wear their wildest costumes and they did not disappoint. Fashionistas, artists and other eccentric guests arrived all decked in a wide variety of costumes from steampunkers to cosplay. The evening began with culinary stations, henna body art by Hennasphere, stilt walking and live body painting by Veteran Couture.

The emcee for the evening was Ahmed Dents from Easy 98.1 FM. There was a stellar lineup of entertainment for the evening, starting with a beautiful performance from California Ballet. The next number to hit the stage was by Patricia Rincon Dance Collective featuring an innovative program and following them was The Animal Cracker Conspiracy, which is a puppet company providing adult entertainment for the audience.

Fans awaited the performance by Priscilla the Empress of Pop who arrived with backup dancers to entertain the crowd. Priscilla is a global superstar who is an artist, singer and dancer, and has just finished her first album. The finale was the Avant Garde Fashion Show. Models slowly came down the staircase from the second level thrilling the crowd. All the clothing, accessories and jewelry were from SaAmDesigns, whose talented designer is Saam McBride, a model, designer and an actress. Shawn Michael Style did the creative hair and makeup for the runway.

The icing on the cake was the opportunity to view the terrific museum exhibits currently on display. The Mingei International Museum houses 24,000 objects of folk art, craft and design from 195 countries. The current exhibits are “Black Dolls,” which are handmade African-American dolls between 1860 and 1930; “Self-Taught Genius,” masterpieces dating from 18th century to present; and “Procession,” dragons and their trainers, roustabouts and wheelers.

Vanguard Culture supports the visual and performing arts community while bringing awareness to social and community causes. This fundraiser is bringing attention to some of San Diego’s best visual and performing artists. For more information contact the founder, Susanna Peredo Swap at VanguardCulture.com.

Upcoming events

July 9 | Third annual Flaunt It fashion series: Flaunt it from 6 – 8 p.m. The location is the W Hotel San Diego at 421 W. B St. for signature cocktails and the womenswear designs of Territa Torres Designs. RSVP at [email protected].

July 9 | Haute 2 Trot: Fine Magazine kicks off the racing season by hosting Haute 2 Trot, a racetrack fashion show from 5 – 9 p.m. at Del Mar Plaza, located at 1555 Camino Del Mar. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Helen Woodward Animal Center. For Tickets: finehomesandliving.com/FINE-Magazine-Calendar-of-Events/index.php/name/Haute-2-Trot-Race-Track-Fashion-Show/event/8682/.

July 16 | FAB Authority Workshop 3: Located at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising on 350 10th Ave., #300, from 6 – 7 p.m.

July 18 | American Sewing Guild: Fashion show starts at 12:30 p.m. at the Town & Country Resort and Convention Center, located at 500 Hotel Circle N. The ASG National Convention will be July 16 – 19. For more information visit: asg.org/html/conference.html.

July 25 | Glamour on Goldfinch: The Patio on Goldfinch hosts with FWSD designers TaSanni & Luv Surf apparel. 11 – 1 p.m., 4020 Goldfinch St. For reservations for this brunch, call 619-501-5090.

—Diana Cavagnaro is an internationally renowned hat designer and milliner and she’s operated her business from Downtown San Diego’s historic Gaslamp Quarter for the last 20 years while teaching in the fashion department at San Diego Mesa College. She can be reached at [email protected].